With Them, Not To Them
When it comes to serving others, what if we went with instead of to?
I remember my first missions trip as an 18-year-old freshman in college. I was bright-eyed, impressionable, and ready to serve others. My passion for serving others stemmed from a desire to help people I deemed “in need.” I now know God does not intend for us to do things to the poor, marginalized, and oppressed; He intends for us to do things with them.
We cannot sustain fruitful missions if we take relationships out of the equation. Our relational solidarity between us and our brothers and sisters we serve is lacking in the Church today. In God’s word, Jesus reminds us the poor are his brothers and sisters. Since God calls us to take on the posture of Jesus, aren’t the poor, oppressed, and marginalized our brothers and sisters, too?
What if there was a simple way to stand in solidarity WITH our brothers and sisters?
This week we will stand WITH others and take the Matthew 25 Challenge through World Vision. This is a week long daily text challenge where our whole community will experience God’s Word together. Please join us on Sunday as we begin to shift our mindset of going TO others to going WITH others. If you cannot attend on Sunday and want to participate, email me at twaters@faithcovenant.org for more information.
As I leave you with these verses, think of “the least of these” as not only Jesus’s brothers and sisters, but your very own:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-36, 40
Until Sunday,
Tone Waters
Director of GO & Communications